Shattered Dreams
by gleefullywritten
Summary: What may have happend after Finn found out the truth about his Dad during Yes/No. Furt brotherliness.


Shattered Dreams

Set During Season 3, Episode 10, Yes/No**

*Potential Spoilers

Authors Note: I do not own Glee, or any of the characters.

Please Review! :)

"I'm not ready. How- how could you think I could ever be ready for something like that?" Finn tried to take another breath as he quickly made his way out of the Spanish classroom where his Mom, Burt, Mr. Shue, and, Ms. Pillsbury had just ambushed him.

Thankfully, the halls were blessedly empty as he made his way towards the auditorium, trying desperately to keep from crying until he knew he was alone.

As he burst into the empty and dark auditorium the calm that washed over him was almost instantaneous, but it didn't stop the flood of emotions he was currently feeling.

Finn didn't bother to turn on any lights as he roughly sat down in the nearest seat in the back of the house.

His mind was spinning so fast, his Mother's words rushing over and over again, "…he died in Cincinnati… dishonorably discharged…drug problem…he'd disappear for a day or a week…I see everything that was good in him, I see it all in you."

Finn started crying suddenly and violently. That was the part that hurt him the most, the fact that his Mom saw so much of his Father in _him._ What used to make him so feel so proud now made him feel like a failure, made him want to throw up just thinking about it.

A part of him knew that his Mom didn't feel the same, that he shouldn't be so devastated about his Dad when he had Burt, and actually a whole new family, there were more important aspects of his life. But his whole world as a kid centered around his Dad, that he was a hero, and now all that was a lie. His mind, and if he were to admit it to himself, his heart was stuck on the idea that just like his Dad he was doomed to fail; and it was more than he could take.

Kurt walked down the hall towards his French class, already dreading the slow, stumbled, and undoubtedly dull conversation his partner was going to offer him in beginner level French when Kurt was conversing at an advanced level. As he turned a corner he stopped short at the sight of his Dad and Carole walking out of Mr. Shue's classroom. Before he processed what was going on he noticed two other minute details: Carole was crying and she clutched a very familiar backpack to her chest.

No one in the group noticed him walk up, but they all turned to him as he asked. "What happened? Is Finn alright? Why do you have his backpack?"

Burt Hummel turned quickly to his son, noticing how he wasn't making eye contact; he was simply staring at his brother's bag. "Kurt, Kiddo, nothing is wrong, Finn is fine, well physically anyway."

This did nothing to reassure him, he raised an eyebrow and belatedly noticed Ms. Pillsbury as he responded, "I think we have all established Finn's loveable if not sometimes infuriating mental status, but that still doesn't answer why all of you are here with Finn nowhere in sight and why Carole is crying."

Mr. Shue took a step towards Kurt saying, "Finn ran out after getting some really upsetting news."

"News, what news?"

Carole took a shuttering breath as Burt put his arms around her. Burt looked at his son and explained, "Kiddo, that is for Finn to decide whether or not to discuss with you. We are just worried because we don't know where he went when he left. We don't know what he is going to do."

Kurt took a small, gasping breath, "You think he might hurt himself? No, Finn wouldn't do that."

Burt shook his head, "We just don't think he is thinking clearly."

Kurt nodded before suddenly shoving his books at his Father saying, "I'll find him."

Carole spoke for the first time since telling her son that his father didn't live up to all his wildest dreams, "Honey, we don't even know where he would go."

Kurt didn't acknowledge he heard her until he was already walking briskly down the hall, responding quietly, "I do."

Kurt slowly opened the door to the auditorium, letting his eyes adjust to the gloom as the door closed softly behind him. As he was about to make his way to the stage he heard a quiet sniffle come from his right. He slowly turned and could barely make out the hunched figure in the last row of the auditorium.

He slowly made his way over to Finn, making a note to move slowly and quietly as possible, not wanting to freak out his brother, who hadn't noticed him yet.

As Kurt closed the distance between himself and his brother he admonished himself for not demanding to know what news his Dad and Carole delivered. Walking into this situation blind was frightening despite the fact that his only goal was to comfort his brother.

Kurt knelt down in front of Finn and ignored the fact that his designer jeans were touching the disgusting floor. He reached out a hand and gently placed it on Finn's shoulder, saying, "Hey bro."

Finn jumped slightly but gave a small laugh at Kurt's unusual greeting before mirroring, "Hey bro."

"I saw Dad and Carole in the hallway; they said that they were worried about you."

Finn didn't respond right away, instead he inhaled sharply, obviously trying to stop the flood of tears as he responded, "I couldn't – I couldn't breathe man. They were all just – there – staring at me. I didn't want them to worry, but I just couldn't stand being in there anymore."

Kurt nodded and moved his hand to rub small circles on Finn's back. When he didn't say anything right away Finn asked, "How did you know where to find me?"

Kurt didn't miss a beat before revealing, "You were hurting, and the one place in this school you would go to make yourself feel better would be here. You always said that Glee Club was the place where you were the most happy; that when you were performing everything else just faded away. I remember how much it helped you to sing the ballad to Beth; nothing has changed in that regard."

Finn looked at Kurt, his red rimmed and watery eyes contrasting the look of appreciation and love on his face. "How did I end up with such a great brother?"

Kurt shrugged casually, "My deductive skills are a gift, I admit."

Finn gave a short laugh as he leaned back in his seat and covered his face with his hands, "I don't know what you're talking about but yeah, it's a gift."

Kurt's mouth moved upward in a lopsided smile as he transitioned gracefully from the floor to the seat next to Finn. He waited a moment before asking quietly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Finn sobbed once and then replied, "I just want to forget this ever happened."

Kurt nodded and grabbed Finn's hand, "I understand that. But Finn, I just want you to know that I'm here if you do ever want to talk about it. You don't have to be alone."

Finn smiled and squeezed the smaller, smoother hand in his. After a moment of silence he said quietly, almost talking to himself, "I didn't know what to do. I just ran. I didn't really know where I was going until I got here. It's like a whole other world in here. It's peaceful you know?"

Kurt only nodded, not wanting to break the moment, it wasn't often Finn talked like this, usually he kept everything so bottled up that Carole had to remind him that internalizing everything wasn't the proper way to deal with emotions. Instead Kurt settled deeper into his seat and listened to his brother.

"I like this, the silence. Usually everything, everyone is so loud, and it feels like your head is going to explode cause it never gets a chance to listen, just listen to what silence can sound like. Rachel gets it; she and I will just come in here sometimes, not do anything but sit and listen to the silence. She gets it. She gets me."

Kurt replied, "I'm glad you have someone who gets you Finn; but you know she isn't the only one."

Finn sighed, "Yeah I know; but it's hard to remember that when your Mom tells you that your Dad was just a drug addict, and not a war hero; when everything you built your life on as a kid gets destroyed it's not so easy."

Kurt frowned, "That is what Dad and Carole just told you? That your Dad didn't die in the war?"

"Yup. Dude, everything's gone. Everything I ever believed in, it's gone, shattered into a thousand pieces by one lie."

Kurt took a deep breath before shifting till he could make out his brother's tear soaked face in the gloom of the auditorium, "Finn, just because you found out that the story you knew of your Dad's life was a lie, doesn't make _him_ a lie. He is still your hero, just not for the same reasons."

"What?"

Kurt sighed and tried again, "So what if your Father wasn't a war hero, he was still a good man. He married Carole when she got pregnant, he didn't leave her, just like you didn't leave Quinn when you thought Beth was your daughter. Your Father fought for what he thought was right, so do you. You fought time and again to save Glee Club, and you fought for my safety. The only difference is that you didn't need to wear a uniform like he did. Your Dad is still your hero, you are still trying to be just like him, finding out that he didn't die the way you thought he did doesn't change that. It doesn't change him or you."

Finn stared at Kurt for a long time before quietly saying, "Thanks, Kurt."

Kurt smiled and responded, "No problem, little brother."

"I'm way bigger than you." Finn responded without missing a beat.

The argument was a familiar one to both boys, instead of continuing the dialogue by rote Kurt said instead, "Do you want to stay in here a while, _big _brother?"

Finn nodded, "Yeah, that would be nice."

"Listen to the silence, huh?"

"Listen to the silence."


End file.
